On at least two occasions since the moratorium on commercial whaling was agreed by the International Whaling Commission (IWC), member nations have circled around the idea of coming to some form of compromise between the pro-whaling and the pro-whale sides. These attempts at compromise have failed and the moratorium remains in place, but there are indications that another deal is in the offing. This is an unfortunate development.

I have visited many dog and cat slaughterhouses in Yulin and I have seen for myself the look of terror on the faces of the animals. There is no doubt in my mind that they know they are next. It is an utterly traumatizing and brutal death...

It's clear to see that our #BeCrueltyFree campaign is a powerful force to be reckoned with on behalf of animals in laboratories. I hope that we will soon be able to add a Taiwanese ban on cosmetics cruelty to that list!

Counting whale corpses matters! It not only shows how devastating whaling has been but as the latest revelations show, it also underpins one of the key arguments against any resumption of commercial whaling in the future - which is that whaling must be subject to independent scrutiny...

Japan should note that the commitment of those peoples and nations that see no place for whaling for profit in the modern world remains strong and, if anything, the current Japanese inquisition will be causing them to sharpen up their arguments and resolve against commercial whaling.

If this pint-sized porpoise does become extinct, it means that we will have discovered and exterminated the smallest of the cetaceans in less than a human lifetime. Its imperilled status has long been of concern and its main threat well established as incidental capture in fishing nets, sometimes called 'bycatch'.

Open and honest discourse and the free exchange of views is the cornerstone of scientific enquiry. Without it, ideas stagnate, progress is delayed, and the status quo prevails -- not because it deserves to, but because alternate viewpoints have been stifled.

Days ago, from a conference center perched on the edge of the bustling mountain city of Quito, Ecuador, delegates to the Convention on Migratory Species made an urgent and unprecedented call to end the live capture of whales and dolphins. This is the first time that any international body has called for this cruel and unnecessary threat to cetaceans to end.

An estimated 6.4 million tonnes of marine litter is dumped in oceans every year. In hotspots more than 3.5 million pieces of litter can occur per square kilometre. Plastic, which constitutes between 60 and 80 percent of marine debris, does not biodegrade and can persist in the marine environment for hundreds to thousands of years.

The locals said they couldn't recall a storm like it. It seemed relentless, starting at dusk and continuing well into the early hours of the morning. The thunder rumbled, and forked lightning struck the sea over and over again, searing the eyes of those watching with vivid after-images...

My colleagues atHumane Society International's India office in Hyderabad are celebrating an historic #BeCrueltyFree campaign victory this week: India has banned the import of cosmetic products and ingredients newly tested on animals, and now becomes the first cruelty-free cosmetics zone in South Asia.

Countries worldwide must take decisive and meaningful action to bring the slaughter to an end, and the démarche is a good start on this march towards a fully effective worldwide ban on commercial killing of the whales.

Brazil's politicians have two choices: either they can introduce a ban of which Brazil can be proud, standing shoulder to shoulder with the EU and India to become the first country in South America to end cosmetics cruelty, or they can pass bill PLC 70/2014 unchanged and risk Brazil lagging behind on the global stage...

And so it begins again. In spite of all the evidence and against all reasonable scientific advice, the sound of rifles and shotguns will be ringing out at night across large parts of Gloucestershire and Somerset over the coming weeks, as innocent badgers are indiscriminately massacred whilst going about their nocturnal business

There was a time when the fight to save the whales was at the forefront of environmental concerns. Sadly, this is no longer true and, as we approach the next meeting of the International Whaling Commission a little later this month, it is worth reflecting on the dilemmas now facing those who continue to oppose whaling for profit.

Owen Paterson has served English farmers, taxpayers and, most of all, the wildlife he was supposed to protect, very badly indeed. Liz Truss would be well advised to use her experience from her time in the Education Department to learn from his mistakes.

It's true to say that China has more than its fair share of animal abuse issues - from rabbits and racoon dogs being skinned alive for fur; dogs and cats brutally beaten, boiled alive or butchered in the street for meat; to bears, monkeys and other wild animals routinely degraded for entertainment in zoos and circuses.

The vote of an animal protection Bill in the Congress is a rare event. We should savour this victory that puts Brazil on the path to join the 28 member states of the European Union, as well as Norway, Israel and India, countries that have rejected these unethical tests.

Progress is urgently needed in understanding Alzheimer's disease and in finding effective treatments. Available drugs can help stabilise memory loss and confusion for a few months in about half of patients, but no preventative treatments exist and none that slow the inexorable development of the disease.

Next month, China is expected to implement the most significant change to its cosmetics testing regulations in more than 20 years - removal of mandatory animal testing for ordinary cosmetics manufactured within China. For the first time ever, Chinese companies will be able to choose to use a state-of-the-art non-animal test instead of a decades' old animal test.